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Firefighters battle LA fire
09/05/2007 07:19 - (SA)
Los Angeles - A wildfire ripped through hundreds of acres of Los Angeles parkland on Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of dozens of homes and threatening several landmarks.
The blaze erupted in tinder-dry countryside near the city's iconic Hollywood sign, before sweeping towards the city's popular Griffith Park, fire officials said.
Around 200 acres of the 4 200-acre park had been destroyed in the blaze which had been 25% contained six hours later, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson told AFP.
Dozens of homes in the upmarket Los Feliz neighbourhood had been evacuated as flames neared residential areas, reports said.
More than 200 firefighters were tackling the flames and five helicopters were deployed to dump water on the fire.
Television footage showed flames nearing the vicinity of the famous Griffith Park Observatory.
The cause of the fire had not been confirmed but Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said one person had been detained and was being quizzed by arson investigators.
Villaraigosa stopped short of saying the fire had been started deliberately, however. "There's no information at this point that this was arson-related, but there is an individual currently in the hospital," he said.
CNN reported that the man may have been a golfer who accidentally started the fire.
Los Angeles is in the grip of the driest start to the year since records began in 1877, according to figures from the National Weather Service released earlier this month.
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